Book Briefs

Rather than give you a list of books I’ve read each month (which can seem self-serving and “forces” me to comment on books whether I want to or not), I think I’ll pass along my reading list more sporadically and less comprehensively. Think of it as: here are some books I’ve been looking at that you might want to know about.

Horatius Bonar, God’s Way of Holiness (Legacy Publishing, 2011). Brief, biblical, eminently Reformed. This is a great companion volume to The Everlasting Righteousness.

Perspectives on the Ending of Mark: Four Views, edited by David Alan Black (B&H Academic, 2008). Well, the book is what it says it is. Not for everyone, but helpful if you want to investigate the ending of Mark. I just finished a two year series on Mark and finished at 16:8.

Should Christians Embrace Evolution? Biblical and Scientific Responses, edited by Norman C. Nevin (P&R Publishing, 2011). Not surprisingly, I found the biblical responses more engaging than the scientific responses, but that’s only because I know the Bible better than I know nucleotide chemical structure. This is a good (and sadly necessary) book which responds to Denis Alexander and answers the title question with an unequivocal “no.” The concluding chapter provides an excellent summary and synthesis.

William VanDoodewaard, The Marrow Controversy and the Seceder Tradition: Atonement, Saving Faith, and the Gospel Offer in Scotland (1718-1799) (Reformation Hertiage Books, 2011). This is a balanced, judicious scholarly appraisal of the controversy surrounding The Marrow of Modern Divinity and its impact on the secession churches of Scotland. There are relevant lessons here for current gospel discussions in our circles. Sweet Dutch last name too–VanDoodewaard.

Lee Congdon, Baseball and Memory: Winning, Losing, and the Remembrance of Things Past (St. Augustine’s Press, 2011). If you like baseball you’ll love this book. Congdon argues that the 1950s represent the golden age of baseball. You don’t have to agree with that assessment (or his insistence that the 50s were a great era for America at large) to enjoy all the great baseball stories of yesteryear. Toward the end of the book Congdon waxes philosophical and makes some provocative statements about the role of memory and tradition. “In baseball–as in life–the burden of proof should always rest on those who advocate change, not on those who stand for continuity” (98).

Eliot Asinof, Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series (Henry Holt and Company, 1963). I like baseball, the White Sox, Chicago, and a good story, so I had a hard time putting this book down. It’s a very sad story, but Asinof tells it so well.”Say it ain’t so, Joe. Say it ain’t so.”

Paul C. Gutjahr, Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy (Oxford University Press, 2011). I confess I didn’t know much about Hodge’s life prior to this biography. 400 pages later, my estimation for Hodge only increased. More than anything I closed the book impressed that Hodges was a godly Christian–hard working, amiable, loving, consistent, and faithful. Gutjahr makes too much of Hodge’s reliance on Scottish Commensense Realism and makes too little of his belief in inerrancy, but overall this a fantastic book. Good scholarship and good writing put to good use for a good man. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year.